Skinny Love
by HecateA
Summary: In which Remus Lupin is a wise man and James Potter is definitely not in love with Lily Evans on account of them being just friends. Oneshot.


**Author's note: **Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **The following ch_ara_cters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this story derives from her original works, storylines, and world. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition.

**Hogwarts: **Assignment #1, Arithmancy Task #3, Write about a character getting a 'reality check' in their life.

**Warnings: **NA

* * *

**Skinny Love **

_Come on skinny love just last the year_

_Pour a little salt we were never here_

_My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my_

_Staring at the sink of blood and crushed veneer_

—Skinny Love, Birdy

Remus had a hard look that, after all these years, James could feel on the back of his head like a judgemental nudge.

He looked up from the paperback he was reading to where Moony sat on the Common Room floor, doing homework at the coffee table. The fire roared behind him.

"What?" James asked.

He nudged his head towards Lily who was laying on the couch, her head on James' lap. She was bundled up in the dark green Holyhead Harpies' blanket that James had gotten Peter to bring down from the dormitory for her. He couldn't have asked Sirius, Sirius would have made a big deal about this whole thing. Hell, most of Gryffindor House had made a big deal about seeing Lily Evans sleeping against James Potter, curled up on herself with her hands wound in his blanket. James didn't care—they could say what they wanted.

"She's had a hard day," James said, voice low. "Leave her be."

"I know she's had a hard day," Remus said pointedly. Even if James and Lily were finally on speaking terms—more than speaking terms, actually, they were even _friends—_Remus had been her confidant much longer. If James had been let in on today's ordeal, Remus had been the one to help keep Lily sane and prepare her for testifying to the Wizenmagot about the Death Eater attack against her family.

Remus sighed. "I just… be careful, James."

"Careful about what?" James said. "The terrifying sleeping form of Lily Evans?"

"You've liked her a long time," Remus said. "I've called you an idiot for it, but you've really, really liked her in a genuine way. More than I think I even gave you credit for. And you put that aside when you two became friends. Just… I don't want you getting hurt because you get too close in a way she can't."

"We're friends," James said again.

"Sure," Remus said. "But you're also in love with her and pieces of that shine through, sometimes—and I'm not the only one who sees it."

"I'm not in love with her," James said though the fib came out wrong. Besides, Remus Lupin could not be lied to.

Remus arched an eyebrow and waited.

"Listen, that's not important to me, right now. If sleeping like this is what she needs not to have nightmares, then I'll stay here all night," James said.

"It's important to _me_ because you're my friend, and I don't want you ignoring your feelings or getting hurt or both," Remus said in that matter-of-fact, very sensible way of his that made James afraid that his friend may have a point. He shut his textbook. "Speaking of sleep, I'm going to head upstairs. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," James said.

With Remus gone, it was just the two of them and the crackling fire in the Common Room. James chewed his lip, pondering Remus' words.

"I turned out liking you a lot more than I originally planned," a sleepy, muted voice chimed up.

James looked down at Lily, still curled up with her head on his lap.

"Evans?" he asked.

"Hmm," Lily said quietly. She shifted just a tiny bit, hiding her hands in the sleeves of his jumper.

His mind was reeling.

"How much did you hear?" James asked.

"A lot of it," Lily said quietly. He couldn't see her face and that terrified James—what was going on in those green eyes of hers? Disappointment? Regret? Disgust, like way back when?

"Listen," James said. "I just… I know what Remus said but I thought you'd need a friend, after losing Snape, and with what happened to your family."

"I did," Lily said. "And instead I got you."

"What do you mean?" James asked, feeling the blush spread across his cheeks.

Lily sat up and James immediately felt the loss of her warmth against him. Although seeing her bundled up in his sweater, her hair up in a messy bun, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes… it sent a different kind of warmth through his chest.

"I think Remus might be right," she said.

"He's a smart guy. About what?" James asked.

"About how easy it is to fall in love by accident even when you're trying not to," Lily said.

James' stomach rumbled.

"This isn't a game to me, Lily," James said. "I'm not—I don't have ulterior motives, I don't want anything from you, I just care about you and…"

"I know," Lily said. "I'm not talking about you."

James felt his mouth drop and Lily laughed to herself—just three small giggles before she leaned in and cupped his cheek.

"If I kiss you…" Lily hesitated. "If I kiss you would you…"

"Yes," James blurted.

Lily laughed again before leaning in and kissing him.

* * *

**Stacked with: **MC4A; Shipping Wars; Hogwarts

**Individual Challenge(s): ** Gryffindor MC (x3); Seeds; Minerva's Migraine; Old Shoes; Themes & Things A (Truth); Themes & Things B (Surprise); Themes & Things C (Blanket); Trope it Up A (Enemies to Friends to Lovers); Trope it Up C (Didn't Know They Were Dating); Ethnic & Present; Neurodivergent; Rian-Russo Inversion; Setting Sail; In a Flash

**Word Count: **791


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